Nursing
From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection
[edit] The Opensource Handbook of Nursing
Nursing is the art and science of helping individuals attain health. It is a holistic discipline with its own body of scientific knowledge, distinct from medicine. At the most basic levels, laypeople give nursing care to sick relatives at home by simply watching their condition and promoting their recovery. In more advanced settings, university and college-prepared Registerd Nurses perform physical assessments of individuals who are acutely and critically ill. Nurses work alongside physicians to administer physician-ordered treatments while using nursing judgement and collaboration with interdisciplinary team members to provide the best evidence based care. At the highest levels of nursing practice, Nurse Practicioners may act as primary health care providers, even writing prescriptions in some states.
Registered and Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses are found in hospitals, physician's offices, rehabilitation centers, and many other settings. In the United States, Nurses practice according to the Nurse Practice Act of their state and the regulations and protocols of the institution in which they work.
